Curriculum revisions spanning world languages and English instruction took center stage at the East Penn School Board meeting, where administrators outlined multiyear efforts to modernize classroom learning and better align instruction across grade levels.

District officials presented updates developed over the past two years, with a focus on expanding student engagement, improving consistency, and preparing students with practical, real-world skills. At the secondary level, proposed revisions to the world languages program emphasize four core pillars: culture, structure, vocabulary and communication. The framework aims to move beyond traditional memorization toward helping students meaningfully use language.

“We want to develop a cultural perspective that goes beyond holidays that includes appreciation for expression,” Kevin Bisignani, world languages department chair at Emmaus High School, said.

Because Pennsylvania does not have state standards for world languages, the district relies on guidelines from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, which prioritize communication skills and real-world application. The district’s current offerings include Spanish, French and German at multiple levels, including Advanced Placement courses, as well as Latin and specialized courses for native and heritage Spanish speakers.

Beginning in the 2027—28 school year, several advanced courses — including Level 4 Honors in French, German and Spanish, as well as Spanish for Native Speakers 2 — will offer students the opportunity to earn college credit through Lehigh Carbon Community College.

At the middle school level, officials introduced a new Grade 8 exploratory course titled “Introduction to World Languages.” The course is designed to expose students to multiple languages through a project-based format and connect those experiences to foundational elements of Latin.

Kim Kannenberg, a German teacher at Eyer Middle School, said the course is intended to build interest early.

“It’s designed to spark curiosity and build interest,” she said, adding that the goal is to make language learning “fun and attainable.”

School board members also discussed the possibility of expanding language offerings in the future, including options such as Arabic and Mandarin.

In English language arts, district leaders outlined revisions affecting grades K-12, with a particular focus on literacy development and consistency across schools.

The district currently serves 193 English Language Learners who speak 27 different languages, with roughly 80 classified as newcomers or beginners. To support those students and meet a new state literacy requirement under Act 135, East Penn plans to launch a K-5 reading and language arts pilot program in the 2027—28 school year.

The pilot will use instructional materials from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and involve 30 teachers across the district’s seven elementary schools.

At the middle school level, Grade 8 English courses will be updated to include more full-length texts and a broader range of genres.

Administrators noted that aligning reading and English language arts standards into a single course has presented challenges, prompting the development of new shared assessments to ensure consistent expectations.

“Any student in East Penn, regardless of which middle school they attend, should have the same rigorous experience,” administrators said during the presentation. Changes are also planned for Grade 10 English, including a restructured sequence of content, expanded reading and writing resources and a stronger emphasis on research skills. Common midterm and final assessments will be implemented to maintain consistency across classrooms.

The board approved the curriculum updates along with a slate of educational conference requests.